Old Friends
by Slayerette16
Summary: Spike's in trouble and no one in the team can figure out how to fix it. Desperately, they turn to the only person they can: Buffy. With Buffy's arrival and Angel's jealousy, former loves and rivals are renewed reminding Buffy that she's not the only one who cares about Spike. Angel/Buffy/Spike friendship, set in S5 of Angel and in the year between Buffy S7 and S8
1. Get Angel

"It's a textbook demon, okay? Easy kill. We wanna be in and out." Angel told Spike as they trundled through the sewers.

"Yeah, yeah I heard you the first 50 times, mate." Spike rolled his eyes.

The pair continued splashing their way through the tunnels, Angel clutching his favourite broad sword and Spike muttering in annoyance under his breath.

"Wait." Angel slapped Spike backwards. "Do you hear that?"

Spike froze and listened, he turned to Angel and nodded. Angel pressed a finger to his lips and the pair tilted their heads to hear the noise.

"Sounds like it's.." Spike whipped his head around just in time to see the demon's fist flying for his face.

Spike landed a few feet away in a filthy puddle and Angel launched into attack. Swinging the axe around in a wild fury, he sliced again and again into the demon. The demon snatched the axe from his grip and tossed it to the floor before swatting Angel to the side dismissively. Spike hopped to his feet kicking the demon twice, who lashed out scratching him across neck. Angel was back up standing behind Spike desperately reaching for the axe. Spike scooped it up and swung it backwards and then forwards slicing the demon's head clean off.

"OWW!" Angel screeched.

Spike spun on his heel and didn't even attempt to hide his giggle upon seeing the slice he'd made straight through Angel's shirt.

"You got me on the backswing!" Angel fingered the rip in his shirt, and swiped his hand across the blood on his stomach.

Spike bent close to the tear and noted, "Ah it's just a papercut! You'll be fine."

"So not the point." Angel huffed and the duo made their way stomping out of the sewers.

Back in the Wolfram and Hart offices...

"You killed it?" Wesley checked again.

"Uh huh. Sliced his head clean off." Spike nodded.

"Right his head...and my shirt." Angel shot him a dirty look.

Fred was delicately cleaning the wound Spike had caused and then reached behind her for a bandage. "I have to admit, Angel it's not that bad."

Angel just grunted and turned to Wesley. "It's all good then?"

"I guess so. I mean yes, as you say if it was an easy kill, nothing to complain about." Wesley agreed.

"What do you mean? You weren't sure it was gonna be easy?" Gunn raised his eyebrows.

"Well I wasn't positive on the sort of demon it was...the two species I was between are notoriously similar.." Wesley admitted.

"Who cares? It's dead anyway." Spike shrugged.

Angel hopped off of the table and headed out the door. "I'll be in my office."

The rest of the team filed out leaving Fred in her lab...and Spike.

"What are you still doing here?" Fred smiled sweetly at Spike.

"Got nowhere to be."

"Angel doesn't want you for something?" Fred asked absent-mindedly as she headed for a shelf of conical flasks and began labelling them.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not work for Captain Forehead."

"Why do you both do that?"

"What?" Spike perched on a countertop.

"The Captain thing? Captain Forehead and Captain Peroxide?"

"Peroxide? He goes for the hair? So bloody original.." Spike shook his head.

Fred put down what she was working on and moved to sit next to Spike. "It's kinda cool though. You and Angel's relationship."

"Relationship? Hardly." Spike scoffed.

"You're like brothers." Fred nudged Spike with her elbow.

"Are not!" Spike spluttered. "If anything it's grandad and grandson...who hate each other."

"You have so much history together. I know you don't hate each other, never could."

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"Well for one thing, you kinda have a history of falling for the same girl and yet you always end up back together." Fred pointed out.

"It's not like that happens often!" Spike said defensively.

"Riiiighttt..Drusilla...Buffy..."

"Two isn't that many ya know!"

"More than most people." Fred joked patting him on the arm.

Spike scoffed and stood up. "I'll be off then, nothing to do here."

"Wait. Can I ask you something? I mean if it's too personal that's okay I've just kinda wondered..well really since you got here."

"What?" Spike took a step closer to her, intrigued.

"Why don't you tell Buffy you're alive? Why don't you go see her? You are corporeal now."

"It's...complicated." Spike decided.

"All I'm saying is...if I was her, I'd wanna know." Fred said softly.

"I'll think about it, love. But don't get your hopes up."

Spike turned to walk out, but suddenly felt a searing pain through his neck and dropped to his knees.

"Spike? Spike, are you okay?"

"I-I..what's happening to me? Ahhhh!"

Spike's hand flew to his neck, pain coursed through his veins and he cried out. He now felt it all over, writhing on the floor in agony.

"Angel! Wesley! Somebody!" Fred yelled.

"Ahhh!" Spike screamed again, convulsing on the ground.

Fred flapped around him, stroking his arm through his leather duster. "It's gonna be okay."

Spike's hand reached out and grabbed her arm tightly between her fingers, she yelped in pain. "Get...Angel." He hissed.

Spike's hand suddenly dropped from her arm, his body stopped twitching, his eyes snapped shut and his head fell, banging to the tiled floor.


	2. Who You Gonna Call?

"What happened?" Angel demanded as he burst into the room.

"I don't know...we were just talking and then all of a sudden he starts screaming and twitching." Fred babbled.

"Help me get him on the table." Wesley ordered and him and Gunn took either end of Spike, landing him on the operating table.

"Spike? Spike can you hear me?" Angel shook Spike's shoulder.

"It's no use. He's not just unconscious, it's magic of some kind." Wesley deduced.

"How? How can that have happened?" Angel asked angrily.

"I don't know." Wesley shook his head. "Lorne can you get anything off of him?"

They all turned to the empath demon and cleared a path to Spike's side.

"Pain...and love?" Lorne realised.

"Love?" Angel checked.

"What were you two talking about before this happened?" Gunn asked Fred.

"Buffy."

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"What are you saying, Wes? Buffy killed him?" Angel hollered.

"No, of course not! I'm just saying it's suspicious is all!"

"What? He died from a broken heart? He hasn't mentioned her for months." Gunn interjected.

"Uhhh...guys?" Lorne peeled back the collar of Spike's jacket.

"What?" Angel barked. "Sorry, Lorne I'm just...sorry. What's up?"

"I don't think it's a broken heart."

Lorne beckoned Angel over and together they looked at Spike's neck. 5 deep cuts were slashed across it, a crust of dried blood surrounding each one.

"Why didn't he say something?" Fred hurried over to inspect his wounds.

"Too busy trying to save the day probably. This demon, Wesley, which one was it? I think we need to know." Angel told him sternly.

Wesley nodded and darted out of the lab to get his books. Gunn strode towards Angel and spoke quietly to him. "You think Buffy really had something to do with this?"

"'Course not, probably just some weird coincidence...or the emotions Lorne felt were left over from the conversation, right? I mean it's not as if he's feeling love asleep like that."

Angel looked over at Spike, his eyes still firmly shut and gazed at the bandages Fred had just finished applying. "You dick, you shoulda told us." He muttered.

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"So let me get this straight, Spike is unconscious because he's in love?" Gunn scoffed.

"In so many words..I'm afraid so." Wesley confirmed. "The demon scratched him because he felt his heart was in pain, longing."

Fred peered over his shoulder at the book and deduced, "This does sound accurate, the venom in the demon's talons penetrates the veins and flows directly into the bloodstream. That would explain his actions after it first took effect."

"So how do we wake him up?" Angel pushed on.

"I don't know."

"What? What do you mean you don't know?" Angel slammed his fist down on the table.

"No one's ever woken up before, okay?" Wesley snapped the book shut angrily.

"Would it help if we got Buffy? Stop some of the longing?" Lorne offered.

"No. We are not getting Buffy." Angel said firmly.

"Well, why not? If it could help-" Gunn defended Lorne but Angel cut him off.

"I said no."

Angel glared around at his friends and with once last look at Spike's motionless body he stormed out of the room.


	3. New Arrival

"Why is he acting this way?" Fred folded her arms across her chest.

"I sensed some serious momma bear instincts radiating off of Angelcakes just then." Lorne informed the group.

"What? You're saying that he's gonna risk Spike's life 'cause he doesn't want him getting with his girl?" Gunn checked, stunned.

"Not exactly. He wants to protect Spike."

"From who? Buffy?" Wesley wondered.

"Well, I guess it's never easy seeing your ex..." Fred offered.

"I mean..I guess." Wesley echoed.

"Nah there's gotta be more to it than that." Gunn decided.

"None of us even know what happened between them, I don't even know if Angel really knows. Maybe it was...messy. Maybe she doesn't feel the same." Fred realised sadly, shuffling awkwardly at the statement.

"I don't care!" Gunn suddenly burst. "We work at a demon law firm, people attack us every day and Spike is one of our best fighters! We can't leave him here unconscious from being rejected!"

"He's right." Wesley agreed. "But what are we supposed to do?"

"I'll call Willow. I still have her number from when she re-ensouled Angel. Maybe she can get Buffy."

Fred excitedly ran to the phone in the corner of the lab and tapped in a number from memory. The boys raised their eyebrows suspiciously at her, "I memorised it in case I needed it in a hurry...again."

"Hello? Yeah, hi it's Fred? I work with Angel...Oh no no no nothing like that- Thank God...It's just...can you get a message to Buffy...it's Spike. He needs her...Umm it's kinda complicated...Okay...thanks a lot Willow...Yeah you'll have to come to LA soon...Bye." Fred hung up the phone. "She's gonna call Buffy."

"That's it? What do we do until then?" Gunn asked.

"There's nothing we can do. For now, we wait and see if Buffy comes." Wesley decided. "Let's all just go home and get some rest."

"Okay. I buzzed medical earlier they should be coming to move him soon anyway." Fred said, shrugging her lab coat off of her shoulders.

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Angel peered in through the window of the darkened room praying that his friends weren't there. Thankfully, they weren't and he ducked inside.

"Hey. Bet you didn't expect me." Angel joked, sloping towards Spike. "Listen, Spike...I mean William. I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, even when we were evil, but...I've always seen you as a little brother ya know?"

He pulled a chair over beside the bed and settled down. "Like after you were sired we went on the whole journey of evil together. Don't get me wrong, I fucked you up. Royally. You were right, I made you a monster. But now you're not like that, and neither am I, and yet we're together again. This time on the journey of good. It's weird right? How we keep getting thrown back together."

Angel playfully slapped Spike's arm, he didn't so much as twitch. "I bet you'd be telling me 'you're such a poof' or 'Captain Forehead here to save the day as usual' and then I'd hit you and you'd hit me. Right?" He laughed and then stopped abruptly looking hard into Spike's face, "Please?"

Fred swept into the lab that morning like she did every morning. She hung up her bag and jacket and slipped on her lab coat. Then, she remembered Spike and fled back across the lobby to the medical rooms.

"Oh!" She jumped at Angel's slumbering body, he didn't stir.

She recovered her composure and looked upon the odd scene before her. Spike, still unconscious, and Angel asleep in a chair next to him, one arm resting on Spike's bed.

"Okay, Angel I know you're asleep and you're gonna kill me when you wake up but this opportunity is too good to pass up."

Fred tiptoed back outside to see Gunn, Lorne and Wesley in the lobby. She waved them over and they followed.

"What's up?" Lorne began.

"Shhh!!!" Fred furiously shushed him and pointed over to the sleeping vampires.

Gunn stifled a laugh and Wesley just silently sipped his tea then Lorne piped up, "I think it's cute."

"I knew they had history but I don't know, I never realised they actually liked each other." Gunn almost grimaced at the thought. "Yo, Wes? You have that camera in your office?"

"Yes..."

"I wanna picture, we may need some leverage one day."

When Wes re-entered with the camera he handed it to Gunn. "Say 'cheese'." Gunn laughed and clicked the camera.

The room was flooded with flash and Angel leapt out of his chair, instinctively shielding himself from what he assumed as sun.

"What's going on?" Angel barked.

"Just a little candid." Gunn grinned.

Angel looked from Gunn to Spike and then scanned the room. "Sorry, I was just shocked."

"Any more ideas on how we snap Blondie Bear out of this?" Lorne asked.

"No." Angel shook his head. "I've got no clue. Wesley?"

"I did some more research but nothing came up." Wesley regrettably informed Angel. "I read a theory that no one's woken up because the love is unrequited pretty much 100% of the time. Then while they're asleep they can't move on to someone new, someone who loves them back. Kind of tragic, really."

"Well that's not gonna happen this time. Are you sure it has to be romantic love like can't it be friendship?" Angel tried.

"Spike's your friend now?" Gunn scoffed.

"Unfortunately he's more like family." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Is that what this is about?" Fred suddenly realised. "Guilt?"

"What?" Angel got defensive. "What do I have to feel guilty about?"

"Maybe you feel a duty to protect him as his Grandsire I don't know." Fred shrugged.

"You never have killed him and it's not like you didn't get plenty of opportunities." Wesley reinforced the idea.

"You guys don't know anything! Okay?" Angel grabbed his coat and made to storm out when he noticed someone blocking the doorway.

"No? Well maybe I do." She stepped out of the shadows, the fluorescent lab lights glinting off of her blonde locks. "Hey."


	4. Old Flames

"Buffy." Angel nodded to her and placed his jacket down. "What are you doing here?"

She advanced towards him. "I think the real question is why didn't you want me here?"

"We'll just leave you two.." Lorne pointed to the door.

"No." Angel held up a hand. "Which one of you called her?"

"Her has a name, Angel. Jeez, who woke up on the wrong side of the coffin this morning." Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"You wanna know where I woke up this morning? I woke up next to Spike, unconscious!" Angel moved to the side so Buffy could see his body.

"Oh my God." Buffy ran past him to Spike's side taking up the chair next to him.

She then turned to Wesley, "What do we know? What can I do?"

"Nothing. Go home." Angel interrupted before Wesley could reply.

"What?" Buffy looked hurt. "What did I do to you?"

"You stormed into my place barking orders! News flash, Buffy, the Slayer isn't God over here!"

"What the hell? You think I'm barking orders? At least I'm doing something! You're just standing there telling me to get out! I could be your only hope!"

"Oh please we'll do this with or without you!"

"Now everybody let's just calm down." Lorne intervened.

"Shut up." Both Buffy and Angel spat at the same time.

"How could you not call me, Angel?" Buffy's tone softened.

"We don't know anything, it could've been useless to bring you here." Angel took a step closer to her.

"But he's...why didn't he...how long has he been back?" Buffy croaked.

"A few months." Angel revealed.

"And now he's.." She gestured to his body her eyes welling up.

"Buffy.." Angel started towards her.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?" She was yelling again. "I swear to God, Angel if this is because of your screwed up inferiority complex I'm gonna start hitting something!"

"That's not why I didn't call you!" Angel yelled back.

"Well why didn't you?"

"'Cause I care about him too, okay? He didn't tell you he was back and I wasn't about to interfere with that. Funnily enough I don't try and stab him in the back every chance I get!"

Buffy took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, you're right."

"I'm sorry too. I should've called you." Angel relented.

"I just.." Buffy trailed off and tears poured out of her eyes, tumbling down her cheeks.

Buffy ran towards Angel and he pulled her into his arms and she openly weeped into his chest. He gently stroked her back, shushing her and kissing the top of her head.

"Wow, you guys are way more mellow than you used to be. Or maybe Cordy just exaggerated." Gunn remarked.

Angel glared at Gunn but Buffy pulled away laughing. "Nah she was right. We were way worse."

"Yep." Angel agreed, laughing now as well.

"Remember that time I ran you through with a broadsword and got you sucked into a hell dimension for a hundred years?" Buffy playfully punched him on the arm.

"Remember the time I stalked you, tried to kill you and your friends and murdered Giles' girlfriend?"

"Unfortunately I do." The both had a little laugh and then she remembered. "Yeah and I had your mates double-cross you...oh."

"What?" Fred said innocently.

"Buffy and Spike worked together to kill Angelus after he attempted to awake Acathla." Wesley told her. "Even though he was evil."

Buffy nestled herself back into Angel's chest clutching his shirt. "I'm sorry we started out like this."

"Me too. I mean it's okay, you're hurting, I get it." Angel assured her.

Buffy stepped away from him and composed herself, flicking her hair over her shoulder and gently wiping smudged mascara from under her eyes.

"Oops." She pointed to Angel's shirt.

He looked down at his chest and saw two round black circles of mascara on the fabric. "Wasn't my favourite anyway."


	5. First Instincts

"We've been researching for hours." Lorne groaned, adding another book to the 'read' pile.

"Well, Gunn will be back soon from the White Room. We'll see if he has anything new." Wesley said setting down his own book.

As if on cue, Gunn appeared in the doorway.

"Anything?" Buffy jumped up from her chair.

Gunn shook his head. "Not really. More cryptic nonsense. It said 'Follow your first instincts'."

"Well, what were you guys' first instincts?" Buffy turned to the room.

"You." Fred revealed.

Buffy softly closed the door to the room as she entered. It was an instinct because someone was sleeping though she knew it wouldn't wake him. As soon as she sat down in the chair next to Spike, she held his hand in hers.

"The last time we did this there were flames. Remember?" Buffy grinned. "I have a bone to pick with you about that, actually mister. I told you I loved you and you said I didn't. But I did, I really did. And it took me so long to realise it that the moment I admitted it you didn't believe me."

Buffy sighed stroking his thumb with hers then leaning down and resting her head on his shoulder. "God you're such an idiot. I love you, Spike. I really love you, more than you know."

Buffy jumped as Spike took a sharp intake of breath. She removed her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "Spike?"

His eyes snapped open and for a second he was bewildered. "Slayer?"

"Seriously, you just got out of a coma and yet remembered to not use my real name? But yes, it's me." She nodded at him.

"What are you...what happened? I was...What was I?" Spike made to sit up stuttering helplessly.

Buffy couldn't help herself, she pressed her lips to his, lightly at first but when she made to move away he held her in place. She was leaning over the bed and his arms clasped around her back, pulling her towards him, joined at the lips as her tongue coaxed its way into his mouth. When they eventually pulled apart she grinned, "Hi."

"So what happened?" Spike was fully awake now and still stupidly grinning at seeing Buffy.

"I don't totally know. Lemme get Angel."

Before Spike could protest she was out the door. He swung his legs down from the bed and tried to stand though they immediately gave way and he fell to the floor. "Bloody hell, why do I keep falling on the sodding floor?"

Angel's team rushed into the room and Buffy and Angel took him under each arm helping him into the chair next to his bed.

"You're awake." Angel noted.

"That I am."

"How did this happen? Buffy what did you do?" Wesley approached intrigued.

"Honestly I don't know...I mean I just talked to him, like I normally would..." Buffy shrugged hopping up to sit on the bed Spike had vacated, swinging her legs next to his chair; Spike's hand naturally travelling to her knee. "Oh and I..." Buffy trailed off, embarrassed.

"What?" Angel urged.

"Oh." Lorne realised and Buffy looked away, blushing. "She told him."

The others nodded knowingly and Buffy smiled, inwardly thanking them for not making this more awkward than it had to be.

"Told him what?" Angel asked confusedly.

"Yeah told me what?" Spike turned to Buffy.

"That I...Umm..I gotta be honest I didn't expect an audience...but I told you that...I love you."

"You did?" Spike couldn't hide the happiness from his voice.

Angel just nodded and turned to Fred, "Well, Fred you wanna check him over make sure this awake thing is permanent and then we're all good." And without another word, Angel swept out of the door.


	6. Reunited

Fred ran over to her clipboard and materials, rifling through gadgets and phials to grab the things she needed to check Spike over.

"We'll just be off then, glad this all worked out." Gunn placed a hand on Wesley's shoulder and they headed for the door.

"You guys don't have to leave." Buffy said awkwardly, jumping down from the bed. "These are your offices. I should probably go talk to Angel anyway. Right?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Gunn advised.

"Well what should I do?" Buffy asked.

"Just stay here for a sec, we'll talk to him. See if he's good." Lorne told her and he left the room with the others.

"Spike could you get back on the bed, please? Sorry I just need to run this over your whole body." Fred asked politely.

"Yeah sure." Spike agreed and Buffy helped him back up into the bed.

Fred ran a scanner over his whole body, staring intently at the little screen on it. She ran it up and down, her eyes roving over his form, lingering for a second on his hand which had found its way back to Buffy's.

"All good there. No radiation, no mystical energy." Fred grinned replacing the scanner.

"Good, good. I guess you got your wish, love." Spike directed this comment at her.

"What? For you to be okay? Yes.." Fred asked puzzled as she grabbed a blood pressure cuff and strapped him to it.

"For Buffy."

"What about Buffy?" Buffy wondered.

Fred pretended to fiddle getting the cuff off and Spike answered, "She wanted me to call you. Said if it was her she'd wanna know."

"Thank you, Fred! I should've known. We do really need to talk..." Buffy stared pointedly at him. "But not right now, I just wanna be right now."

"Hey, you know me, Slayer, I hate the talking." Spike agreed.

"To be honest, Spike it all looks good." Fred flipped a few more pages on her clipboard. "Blood pressure's normal, no radiation, no mystical energy, a healthy room temperature and no pulse."

"So what's the doctor's orders?" Spike turned to her.

"I'd suggest just get home. Lie down until the feeling comes back to your legs and you'll be up and swinging in no time." Fred patted his shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone."

Fred closed the door behind her and headed for Angel's office to give him the good news.

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"So you're all good." Buffy hopped up onto the bed next to him.

"Yup. You don't have to be nice anymore now I'm not dying, Slayer." Spike joked.

"I'll just be off then." Buffy started to get up jokingly and Spike pulled her back down, looping his arm around her.

Buffy snuggled down the bed resting her head just below his shoulder, "I can't believe you didn't call me."

"I thought we weren't gonna talk?"

"I know. You're right, let's just be happy for a second. Apparently that's just too hard for us." Buffy laughed emptily.

Spike turned his head to look at her and brought his lips to hers, he couldn't believe it was only the second time they'd kissed since she'd got here. A few years ago they would've already slept together at least three times. He made himself laugh at that and she pulled away tracing a finger along the line of his mouth.

"What's with the giggles? Am I not as good a kisser as before?" Buffy grinned.

"Nah I'm just...happy I guess."

Buffy rested her head back on him and he leant his head on hers gently closing his eyes.

"Spike, I-" Angel appeared in the room.

Buffy leapt up and peeled her body from Spike's throwing herself into the chair.

"Oh, God. Sorry, I thought-I don't know..sorry..I'll just..." Angel awkwardly headed back to the door.

"No! Wait!" Buffy stopped him. "Come sit." She got up and gestured to the chair.

"No really. I'm just...in the way." Angel ignored her offer and left.

"That went well." Buffy sighed.


	7. You Say It First

Spike drained the last of the blood in his mug and sighed. He should've stopped her leaving, now he wouldn't have time. Before he knew it she'd be flitting off back to Europe.

"Spike?" Angel poked his head round the door.

"Relax. She's not here." Spike guessed what he was looking for.

"Sorry I just smelt her and I wasn't sure." Angel sat down next to Spike's bed.

"Whatever." Spike shook his head.

"Was it because of me?"

"Well I have to admit, bursting in on us did shake her a little but...I don't know. She doesn't want to put you in an awkward position I think, seeing your ex with someone else in your town, made sure you staked your claim to it, good and proper didn't you?" Spike reminded Angel of when he'd kicked Buffy out of 'his city' a few years prior.

"She tell you all this?"

"Not in so many words, but I know Buffy."

Angel nodded, as much as he hated to admit it, Spike did know Buffy. "We weren't doing anything you know. Just hugging, we weren't gonna...you know. We do have some self control."

"I know. I guess I just freaked." Angel admitted.

"Why? You knew about me and her."

"I know but, I guess I didn't totally understand to what extent."

"You thought we were just sleeping together." Spike surmised.

"...Kinda." Angel awkwardly shuffled in his chair.

"I was in love with her, as in love as a vampire without a soul can be anyway. And she was going through some stuff and yeah we started sleeping together."

"You don't have to tell me all this.." Angel fidgeted.

"I know but I will. It was not a good relationship...violent, degrading and led to the worst thing I've ever done in my life." Spike's eyes darkened. "But then I got my soul and it got a little better."

"So you got into a real relationship?"

"Not really. We kinda built up a working relationship first but the feelings were still there. She believed in me, knew I could be a better man. And then she had a really, really difficult night and I was there for her. And more importantly, she actually let me be there for her." Angel's eyes flitted away from Spike, embarrassed and Spike hurried to correct his mistake. "I don't mean there for her...like that...We didn't...I didn't...Oh sod it! We didn't have sex alright? No it was way more...personal than that." Spike scoffed at himself calling sex impersonal.

Angel nodded solemnly and Spike finished his story. "You know, then I burned up in a pillar of fire in the Hellmouth, classic rom-com." Spike chortled.

"I'm sorry. Sorry I got all...uncomfortable and weird."

"It's fine. I expected nothing less." Spike rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't gonna bring her here you know." Angel revealed.

"You weren't?" Spike raised an eyebrow at him.

"I didn't know if you'd want her here, I figured you would've called her yourself before now...I don't know."

"You actually considered what I'd want?" Spike comically placed a hand to his chest.

"Yeah, weird right?"

"Is this the day of Fred being right or what?" Spike laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"She said me and you were like brothers and I shrugged her off. But I guess she was right you know."

"Yeah. I mean I've never killed you and I had plenty of opportunities."

"Same, actually." Spike realised.

"I mean there's the obvious, Sunnydale. You were in a freakin' wheelchair and you hated my guts I coulda killed you with one hand."

"What about the submarine back in 1943? I found out about you playing both sides, making good with the soul and I swam to shore anyway."

"I know we've been through a lot and someone somewhere is clearly just getting their kicks out of forcing us back together."

"Damn right." Spike interjected.

"And I..I..oh god don't make me say it too."

"It's just three words, Liam."

"I'm not saying it." Angel shook his head.

"Awww come on.."

"You say it first, you're the poet."

"I'm not saying it first."

"You're so stubborn you know that." Angel insulted him.

"Oh you're one to talk!"

"You know what? You need to get some sleep anyway. They're discharging you tonight." Angel stormed out of the door.

"Angel?" Spike called to him and he spun around. "I love you, man."

Angel smiled almost in annoyance, "Love you too." And he hurried out of the door in embarrassment.


	8. Goodbyes

Angel headed back out into the lobby to find his friends all huddled around Buffy.

"Buffy? You're back." Angel said.

"Yeah sorry about earlier.." Buffy's eyes fell to her feet.

"No it's my fault. I shouldn't have reacted like that. Do you wanna see him?"

"No, I think it's best if I just go, quietly. You guys have got a good thing going." Buffy assured him then turned to the team.

"Wes? Good seeing you again. You're not as weedy as I remember." Buffy slapped him on the arm.

"I suppose I'm not, no." Wesley laughed politely.

Buffy turned to Gunn. "You're a good fighter. If you ever feel like training Slayers, you know where to find me."

"Maybe one day." Gunn grinned.

"Fred? Thanks for calling and Willow sends her love. Oh and never stop proving Spike wrong." Fred enveloped Buffy into a tight hug. "Wow you're a hugger." Buffy laughed.

"Sorry."

"Nah I like it." Buffy then turned to Lorne. "Can I risk talking to you or are my emotions too much?"

"Don't worry, doll face. You're pretty mellow now, the only way I could read you is if you were singing."

"Let's not get that started, please." Angel joked.

"Hey! You're not exactly Beyoncé either!" Buffy scolded him.

"It was good to see you, really." Angel assured Buffy.

"You too."

Angel held out a hand for her to shake but she swatted it away. "Come on!" Buffy threw her arms around his neck and he chuckled into her shoulder.

"Next time call me though, right?" She whispered.

"Promise." He replied.

Buffy pulled away from him and he passed her a piece of paper. She raised an eyebrow at him and he gave a curt nod, she slipped it in her pocket realising he probably didn't want her to draw attention to it.

"Right, well I'm gonna get some sleep. Flight leaves tomorrow morning." Buffy took a step back from the group and then turned around sauntering towards the elevator.

"Oh and Angel?" She looked over her shoulder. "Am I still your favourite Slayer?"

Angel beamed at her, "Always."

0000000000000000000000000000000

Spike sat heavily down on his couch and Angel placed a few packets of blood in his fridge.

"Right, see you tomorrow for work, old man."

"You don't have to come in, Spike."

"Oh please, I'm fine. You feel it too, I know you do. And whatever it is you're gonna need me." Spike ominously replied, vampire spidey-senses, super in-tune to upcoming evil.

"I know. Just get better." Angel headed for the door. "Oh and expect a visitor tonight."

"What? Who?"

"Oh just an old friend, gave her your address."

Before Spike could say another word, Angel had disappeared out of the front door.

0000000000000000000000000000000

KNOCK KNOCK

"Come in." Spike called nervously.

Buffy slipped inside. She was dressed differently to how she had been earlier, she was now wearing a coral tank top that laced around her back, jeans and heels. Coral, he loved her in that colour.

"Hey." Buffy sat down next to him on the couch.

"So I'm guessing we have to talk, pet." Spike began.


	9. Finale

"Yeah we do." Buffy confirmed.

"So you...you..."

"Love you? Yeah, yeah I do." Buffy nodded awkwardly.

"Right. Okay then."

"But you know that doesn't give you the right to justify what you did!" Buffy suddenly yelled.

"What?" Spike almost jumped.

"How could you not tell me? Call me? Hell, even email I don't care, you just let me spend months thinking the love of my life was dead!" Buffy screamed, tears of rage forming in her eyes.

Spike felt a lump rise in his throat at the sight of her tears. "I'm sorry, love." He croaked.

"Just...why?" Buffy's voice cracked.

"The only good thing I've ever done in my life...the only good thing. The thing that finally let me prove myself to you, and it didn't even last." Spike admitted.

"What? Is that what you think?" Buffy sat back down beside him, her anger melting. "You never had to prove yourself to me, you did that a long time ago."

"I didn't...not really."

"Spike, you were a good man. And you fought fiercely for that. I didn't need anymore proof. The only way I would've reacted would've been happiness. And the fact that you didn't know that..."

"You're right, I should've known that."

"No! You don't get to be all high and mighty with me now!" Buffy got back to her feet. "I'm screaming at you right now and you could at least have the decency to yell back!"

"What?" Spike asked, utterly lost.

"I just look like a crazy person!" Buffy screeched.

"No you don't." Spike chuckled. "You have every right to be angry, pet."

"Damn right I do!"

"I'm so sorry."

Buffy took a deep breath and allowed herself to sink into the seat beside him. "That's okay. I guess...I get it. You better not do it again though!"

"Not all of us die a bunch of times."

"Hey!" Buffy swatted his arm playfully. "Though I do have one more bone to pick with you..."

"Oh yeah? What's that then?" Spike teased.

"Why didn't you just believe me when I told you I loved you?" Buffy asked quietly.

"I don't know. I just...I guess I felt I didn't deserve it. Didn't deserve your love...I didn't want to believe that you had let me have you when I didn't deserve it. Plus you had to get outta there..."

Buffy smiled at him and turned his head to face her. "I was always yours, deserving or not. I love you, Spike."

"I love you too, Buffy." Buffy almost gasped at his use of her real name, he hardly ever did that.

Spike's thumb traced along her jawline settling under her chin, he tilted her face upwards towards his and planted a kiss on her lips. As usual, one kiss was never enough and soon the pair were slowly leaning back on the couch, joined tightly at the lips.

"We can't." Buffy breathed into him as he slathered her neck with kisses.

"Slayer..." Spike groaned. "Why?"

"You know why." Buffy delicately pushed him off and sat back up.

"Why are we never allowed to be together, huh?" Spike asked, a cocktail of anger and hilarity in his voice.

"Just lucky I guess." Buffy laughed sadly. "I'm needed in Europe, hundreds upon thousands of slayers are popping up all over. And if I don't train them, who will? Faith?"

Spike chuckled. "Yeah and Angel and his team need me here. I think there's an apocalypse coming you know?"

"Isn't there always?" Buffy joked.

"Well we should probably stop before we get...carried away." Spike decided.

"You're right." Buffy stood up and fell into Spike's arms.

He squeezed her tight and released "One day, pet. For now, let's go be heroes."

Buffy grinned knowingly at him remembering those being his exact words after the night they'd spent together back in Sunnydale. She turned on her heel and headed for the door.

Then she spun back around, "You know...my flight doesn't leave until tomorrow morning."

"No?" Spike began swaggering towards her.

"Uh uh." Buffy shook her head.

"I'm so sick of being responsible."

Spike launched himself at her sweeping her into his arms and she kissed him deeply. He pulled his arms off of her just long enough to shrug off his leather duster, then hoisted her into the air as Buffy wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Their lips passionately locked, pleased with the familiarity of each other's mouths and the longing they'd both felt for months seeping into every movement. Gently, he laid her down on the bed.

 ** _All done! Thanks for all the support on my first ever Angel fic. I hope everyone was happy with the ending I felt I had to kinda set it up for the comics and (SPOILER) the Spuffy reunion. Thanks again!_**


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